Before getting to tonight's game, some notable injury news around the league. If I were in ESPN host, I'd come up with some catchy name for this segment, like "Who Wins, Who Loses?" While I prefer to keep flash and sizzle to a minimum, let's liven things up for one day:
First, John Ross is becoming the Kevin White of the AFC. In his third season he was finally beginning to fulfill the promise of his former first-round draft position. Instead he'll miss at least the next eight weeks with a shoulder injury. "Who loses?" (Imagine a deep, drawn-out, computerized voice.) Well, Ross of course. "Who wins?" (Again, the computerized voice.) Um, every Bengal receiver.
OK, this isn't working. You're all busy people with little time for dumbed-down analysis. So let's get back to straightforward talk. While Auden Tate is a popular waiver add, he's a slow-ish receiver gearing up for, at best, 4-5 catches a game in the near term with limited TD potential. The caveat is whether A.J. Green returns this season. Really, why would he come back to this mess? The veteran will be a free agent in January. After each loss, Green becomes a riskier hold, while Tate could cement a WR4/5 role.
Battling an injury last week, Marlon Mack earned only 11 touches against Oakland, considering his slide in per-game touches (25, 23, 18, and then 11). Sub-par in the passing game, he's more TD-dependent than most modern-day bellcows, and he's no lock to keep his job all year. The risk is that if he sits Week 5 and Jordan Wilkins goes off, the Colts' post-bye Week 7 contests against Houston could yield a backfield timeshare. And don't forget Nyheim Hines, who could muddy this further. While I shouldn't over-speculate, this is a situation to monitor closely.
Dontrelle Inman has been placed on injured reserve because, well, he's a Charger. The good news is Mike Williams and Travis Benjamin returned to practice yesterday on a limited basis. If one of them can play, he'll be a solid streamer. And Hunter Henry started doing individual drills and is a solid trade acquisition / waiver pick-up in deeper leagues.
Terry McLaurin is back, and if it's not obvious yet, should be sold high with Colt McCoy expected to serve as Washington's sub-par placeholder until they inevitably trade for Andy Dalton.
Rashaad Penny is finally healthy again and remains a top-10 handcuff behind Chris Carson.
Finally, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner, and Vance McDonald missed practice Wednesday. Don't give up on JSS. Do sell high on Conner, who gets only a couple more easy defenses. And McDonald will be a weekly desperation TE when healthy.
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Thursday Night Football. A lot at stake for many of us. And what a matchup. Seattle's D has largely kept opposing RBs in check, at least on the ground; through the air is another story, as Alvin Kamara and David Johnson were unstoppable the past two weeks. And the Seahawks have produced a middling pass defense, which is actually better than some expected this preseason. The Rams' defense has been stingier against the run and the pass, but was painfully exposed by Jameis Winston and the Bucs this past Sunday.
I'm expecting the Rams' D to continue struggling tonight, coming off a short week after being on the field nearly 33 minutes. Expect Seattle to employ a two-headed running game led by Chris Carson (provided he doesn't fumble) and the previously mentioned Penny. A bunch of first downs on the opening, eight-minute drive to wear down and demoralize the Rams' defense. Russell Wilson has one of the safest floors in fantasy, but his consensus #4 ranking this week is beyond ambitious.
On the other side of the ball, Jared Goff is looking at a 250-2-1 night, meaning high-end QB2 production. Maybe he'll surprise. But clearly he hasn't produced as I expected. If you haven't sold high on Cooper Kupp, do so. While this offense is clearly powerful enough to comfortably feed two or even three receivers per contest, Kupp has been playing out of his mind. And in the backfield, Todd Gurley will rush about a dozen times for 42 yards and perhaps catch 2-3 balls.
First, John Ross is becoming the Kevin White of the AFC. In his third season he was finally beginning to fulfill the promise of his former first-round draft position. Instead he'll miss at least the next eight weeks with a shoulder injury. "Who loses?" (Imagine a deep, drawn-out, computerized voice.) Well, Ross of course. "Who wins?" (Again, the computerized voice.) Um, every Bengal receiver.
OK, this isn't working. You're all busy people with little time for dumbed-down analysis. So let's get back to straightforward talk. While Auden Tate is a popular waiver add, he's a slow-ish receiver gearing up for, at best, 4-5 catches a game in the near term with limited TD potential. The caveat is whether A.J. Green returns this season. Really, why would he come back to this mess? The veteran will be a free agent in January. After each loss, Green becomes a riskier hold, while Tate could cement a WR4/5 role.
Battling an injury last week, Marlon Mack earned only 11 touches against Oakland, considering his slide in per-game touches (25, 23, 18, and then 11). Sub-par in the passing game, he's more TD-dependent than most modern-day bellcows, and he's no lock to keep his job all year. The risk is that if he sits Week 5 and Jordan Wilkins goes off, the Colts' post-bye Week 7 contests against Houston could yield a backfield timeshare. And don't forget Nyheim Hines, who could muddy this further. While I shouldn't over-speculate, this is a situation to monitor closely.
Dontrelle Inman has been placed on injured reserve because, well, he's a Charger. The good news is Mike Williams and Travis Benjamin returned to practice yesterday on a limited basis. If one of them can play, he'll be a solid streamer. And Hunter Henry started doing individual drills and is a solid trade acquisition / waiver pick-up in deeper leagues.
Terry McLaurin is back, and if it's not obvious yet, should be sold high with Colt McCoy expected to serve as Washington's sub-par placeholder until they inevitably trade for Andy Dalton.
Rashaad Penny is finally healthy again and remains a top-10 handcuff behind Chris Carson.
Finally, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner, and Vance McDonald missed practice Wednesday. Don't give up on JSS. Do sell high on Conner, who gets only a couple more easy defenses. And McDonald will be a weekly desperation TE when healthy.
---
Thursday Night Football. A lot at stake for many of us. And what a matchup. Seattle's D has largely kept opposing RBs in check, at least on the ground; through the air is another story, as Alvin Kamara and David Johnson were unstoppable the past two weeks. And the Seahawks have produced a middling pass defense, which is actually better than some expected this preseason. The Rams' defense has been stingier against the run and the pass, but was painfully exposed by Jameis Winston and the Bucs this past Sunday.
I'm expecting the Rams' D to continue struggling tonight, coming off a short week after being on the field nearly 33 minutes. Expect Seattle to employ a two-headed running game led by Chris Carson (provided he doesn't fumble) and the previously mentioned Penny. A bunch of first downs on the opening, eight-minute drive to wear down and demoralize the Rams' defense. Russell Wilson has one of the safest floors in fantasy, but his consensus #4 ranking this week is beyond ambitious.
On the other side of the ball, Jared Goff is looking at a 250-2-1 night, meaning high-end QB2 production. Maybe he'll surprise. But clearly he hasn't produced as I expected. If you haven't sold high on Cooper Kupp, do so. While this offense is clearly powerful enough to comfortably feed two or even three receivers per contest, Kupp has been playing out of his mind. And in the backfield, Todd Gurley will rush about a dozen times for 42 yards and perhaps catch 2-3 balls.